Can we have a funny thread? In-laws/Family Summer 2017

[Anonymous]

Whenever I see threads like this, I wonder what my kids would say! Two of our five are married. We have two grandkids. DH and I are only 50, so hopefully we aren't too bad! But I'll bet our kids could tell stories!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My FIL is in his 80s and is mostly to the point where he says whatever is on his mind and gives no shits what anyone else thinks. Thankfully, he's generally a good guy and not racist or hateful or anything. Anyway, we were just at a family gathering (DH's side of the family), and DH's mother was not there. Everyone kept asking my FIL where she was, and I guess he got tired of all the questions, because he finally announced, VERY LOUDLY, that she'd been having diarrhea for the past five days and would not be joining us. MIL is a very private person who does not discuss her health with anyone and she probably would have killed him. That put an end to the questions, though.

HAHA! That's hilarious. Sounds like something my dad would say.
We are on vacation without MIL and today she called DH and said she let slip that she had to buy him a new bucket because she pooped in the one he had I only heard his side of the convo, which was mostly him laughing his ass off. I didn't ask any questions. Gross! I don't wanna know!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I have been visiting my in-laws house for, well, 12 years. My FIL, who I love dearly, tells me the EXACT same stories about their quaint New England town each year. Every year, he acts as if I have never visited before. I find it hilarious and wish I had thought to take a video each time he tells the same story. It would have been YouTube gold.

The other hilarious thing my in-laws do is they carry on two different conversations with me at the same time. They will each speak at the same time - totally different topics - while sitting next to one another in the car. Of course it's a challenge for me to try to keep each conversation going, but I do. Apparently, they do this with everyone else in the family as well. It's just so funny.

I need more humor in my life clearly.

Hahaha my inlaws are currently here and they do this too!! It's a position of power, really...they both start talking to me about something totally different at the same time, and it's like AH who do I look at / respond to first?! I try to switch it up equally (plenty of opportunities, really)

I would totally watch that YouTube video, btw.

Mine do this too! I try really hard to participate in both convos, but husband has given up and just ignores them until one triumphs over the other.

Question for all 3 PPs...what happens when you or someone else actually says, "Hold on Mary, Bob...I can't talk to you both at once about different topics!"

I've tried saying something like that ("Sorry, what was that? I can't quite follow you both!") and I get a chuckle, but it doesn't change anything long term. I'm not comfortable speaking up more because it seems like just how this family operates, and I don't think it's my place to rock the boat. But your advice seems like something obvious I haven't tried, so maybe I'll try that wording next time!

Just because a dynamic is "the way it is" doesn't mean that you have to tolerate it. I would never allow myself to be repeatedly pulled into this type of unhealthy dynamic--whether they realize it or not, they are clearly competing with each other/being passive aggressive toward one another. Politely shut it down, every time. Whether or not they change your behavior, YOU don't need to be put in the middle of their immature conduct.

Oh my god you need to get a life

+1 calm down weirdo. I get the impression you're the kind of person who takes eeeeeverything a BIT too seriously

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been visiting my in-laws house for, well, 12 years. My FIL, who I love dearly, tells me the EXACT same stories about their quaint New England town each year. Every year, he acts as if I have never visited before. I find it hilarious and wish I had thought to take a video each time he tells the same story. It would have been YouTube gold.

The other hilarious thing my in-laws do is they carry on two different conversations with me at the same time. They will each speak at the same time - totally different topics - while sitting next to one another in the car. Of course it's a challenge for me to try to keep each conversation going, but I do. Apparently, they do this with everyone else in the family as well. It's just so funny.

I need more humor in my life clearly.

Hahaha my inlaws are currently here and they do this too!! It's a position of power, really...they both start talking to me about something totally different at the same time, and it's like AH who do I look at / respond to first?! I try to switch it up equally (plenty of opportunities, really)

I would totally watch that YouTube video, btw.

Mine do this too! I try really hard to participate in both convos, but husband has given up and just ignores them until one triumphs over the other.

Question for all 3 PPs...what happens when you or someone else actually says, "Hold on Mary, Bob...I can't talk to you both at once about different topics!"

I've tried saying something like that ("Sorry, what was that? I can't quite follow you both!") and I get a chuckle, but it doesn't change anything long term. I'm not comfortable speaking up more because it seems like just how this family operates, and I don't think it's my place to rock the boat. But your advice seems like something obvious I haven't tried, so maybe I'll try that wording next time!

Just because a dynamic is "the way it is" doesn't mean that you have to tolerate it. I would never allow myself to be repeatedly pulled into this type of unhealthy dynamic--whether they realize it or not, they are clearly competing with each other/being passive aggressive toward one another. Politely shut it down, every time. Whether or not they change your behavior, YOU don't need to be put in the middle of their immature conduct.

Oh my god you need to get a life

+1 calm down weirdo. I get the impression you're the kind of person who takes eeeeeverything a BIT too seriously

+2! This is a thing a lot of elderly/older people do. My folks have been happily married and wildly in love for 55 years and THEY do it, so it's not about their "unhealthy dynamic" it's just a quirk of human nature. Gawd, I feel sorry for people who are so rigid and clenched.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been visiting my in-laws house for, well, 12 years. My FIL, who I love dearly, tells me the EXACT same stories about their quaint New England town each year. Every year, he acts as if I have never visited before. I find it hilarious and wish I had thought to take a video each time he tells the same story. It would have been YouTube gold.

The other hilarious thing my in-laws do is they carry on two different conversations with me at the same time. They will each speak at the same time - totally different topics - while sitting next to one another in the car. Of course it's a challenge for me to try to keep each conversation going, but I do. Apparently, they do this with everyone else in the family as well. It's just so funny.

I need more humor in my life clearly.

Hahaha my inlaws are currently here and they do this too!! It's a position of power, really...they both start talking to me about something totally different at the same time, and it's like AH who do I look at / respond to first?! I try to switch it up equally (plenty of opportunities, really)

I would totally watch that YouTube video, btw.

Mine do this too! I try really hard to participate in both convos, but husband has given up and just ignores them until one triumphs over the other.

Question for all 3 PPs...what happens when you or someone else actually says, "Hold on Mary, Bob...I can't talk to you both at once about different topics!"

I've tried saying something like that ("Sorry, what was that? I can't quite follow you both!") and I get a chuckle, but it doesn't change anything long term. I'm not comfortable speaking up more because it seems like just how this family operates, and I don't think it's my place to rock the boat. But your advice seems like something obvious I haven't tried, so maybe I'll try that wording next time!

Just because a dynamic is "the way it is" doesn't mean that you have to tolerate it. I would never allow myself to be repeatedly pulled into this type of unhealthy dynamic--whether they realize it or not, they are clearly competing with each other/being passive aggressive toward one another. Politely shut it down, every time. Whether or not they change your behavior, YOU don't need to be put in the middle of their immature conduct.

Oh my god you need to get a life

+1 calm down weirdo. I get the impression you're the kind of person who takes eeeeeverything a BIT too seriously

+2! This is a thing a lot of elderly/older people do. My folks have been happily married and wildly in love for 55 years and THEY do it, so it's not about their "unhealthy dynamic" it's just a quirk of human nature. Gawd, I feel sorry for people who are so rigid and clenched.

+3

Welcome to D.C. - land of rigid and clenched. PP, I think your ILs sound hilarious. I especially love the FIL who said "and it's Friday!" You should video this.

The clenched ones can start their own thread to pee on.